3 arrested for vandalising Gandhi statue in Nathdwara

Udaipur : Rajsamand police arrested three persons on wednesday in relation to a complaint of alleged desecration of bust of Mahatma Gandhi’s idol in HoliMangra of Valmiki colony in Nathdwara town. The accused Kuldeep Valmiki (24), Arvind Valmiki (24) and Ankit Gehlot (23) have been arrested for vandalising the statue in Nathdwara police station area last Monday, police said. Interestingly, one of the accused turned out to be the son of the man who lodged the complaint with the police.

The incident had taken place past monday midnight and the residents were infuriated to see the damaged statue in the morning. A complaint was registered under Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDPP) and relevant sections of the IPC against unidentified men. The police had sought CCTV footages from the cameras installed in many shops of the area and rounded up suspects who have been arrested, Rajsamand SP Manoj Kumar said.

The investigating officer Ravindra said that the statue had been installed by the Nathdwara municipality and the police has written to them to assess the expenses incurred in the purchase and installation of the idol. There has been a spike in incidents of statues and idols being targeted with reports from across the country pointing to growing intolerance and increasing vandalism.